Alcoholism is a severe condition that requires dedicated treatment strategies that are cognizant of a patient’s local environment, stressors and other factors that can be causative to the problem. Many Americans suffer from alcoholism and developing a plan dedicated to changing some unhealthy behavior is critical. This plan is based on the acknowledgement that human beings are capable of changing their behaviors, and in the place of old behaviors, we instill new behaviors which are healthier.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy is a preferred mode of delivering change to the patient as it empowers an individual to take control of their own thoughts and feelings and consequently the decisions that they make especially with regards to alcohol as expressed by Carroll and Kiluk (2017). Most of the problems that an individual battling alcoholism will experience will be due to erroneous thinking or a belief about their personality, capabilities or others. Through appreciating the ability of the patient in examining their own feelings, with the help of a therapist, it is likely that the patient will understand themselves better.
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Goals of this Cognitive Behavior Therapy
To modify the behavior of the patient with reference to alcoholism
Modify the patient’s attitude toward alcohol and alcohol abuse
Help the patient recognize situations (triggers) that might lead to alcohol use
Help the patient cope with arising problems and behaviors that might lead to alcohol use
Encourage the patient to stay in the treatment longer
Enhance the effects of any medication that will be provided during the change process.
Components of the Therapy
Duration of the Treatment
The therapy is a structured, goal-oriented process that pays particular emphasis on the immediate problem of alcoholism and its consequences. As such, the process is short-term and might take about a year with more than a dozen sessions.
Functional Analysis of the Therapy
The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is premised on the need to work together between the patient and the therapist. The relationship between the two will be formed and it is critical in ensuring that the individual is assisted to identify their own thoughts, feelings and internal processes that can lead to drinking. Further, the need to understand the circumstances in the external environment that can lead to relapsing to alcohol, for instance, stress, anxiety, depression, and frustration among others. Such circumstances include, peer pressure, being in the wrong company, being out late into the night, attending parties and other possible scenarios. It will be necessary for the therapist to create an environment where the individual feels comfortable to express themselves.
This analysis is necessary in giving insight into why the individual took the path to alcoholism. The therapist will help the individual to identify the situations in which the patient experiences difficulties coping without alcohol. Using this analysis, the therapist gets a window into possible behaviors that the individual can adopt to be in a position to completely quit alcoholism.
Skills Training
The individual will often need a new set of skills that can help to cope with the addiction and also with situations likely to lead to drinking. On the initial stages, the therapist will help the individual unlearn the behaviors that often lead to misuse of alcohol. Such old and often harmful habits include; bad company, misuse of funds, verbal altercations, domestic violence, unnecessary stress, anxiety, and depression among others. In the place of the old behaviors, the therapist must help the patient acquire new skills and behaviors. The therapist must educate the individual about new possible ways of thinking. For instance, how to handle stress, free time, funds, and rejection among other triggers of alcoholism.
Expected Effectiveness of the Therapy
It is expected that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy will deliver brilliant result when it comes to the treatment of an individual aiming to deal with alcoholism. The effectiveness of the approach will highly depend on the determination of the individual to change. In spite of this, the approach delivers a high impact on the individual through allowing the individual to come to terms with the situations and thoughts that deliver sufficient confidence for behavioral change. When combined with other treatment procedures, such as pharmacological options and group therapies as described by Litt et al. (2016) , it becomes apparent that the approach can deliver an all-round solution to the individual.
Conclusion
Alcoholism is serious problem if left unattended: many Americans are affected. To help with the situation, it is necessary to develop a situation that will help in the creation of an environment that will allow the individual to develop behavioral change. Within a year, it is expected that the individual will be in a position to make the right decisions and avoid situations that are likely to lead to behavioral relapse. The individual will be subjected to skills training to help in the change of behavior through a process that the individual understands. The effectiveness of the approach is expected to be high and will lead to a permanent behavior change.
References
Carroll, K. M., & Kiluk, B. D. (2017). Cognitive behavioral interventions for alcohol and drug use disorders: Through the stage model and back again. Psychology of addictive behaviors , 31 (8), 847.
Litt, M. D., Kadden, R. M., Tennen, H., & Kabela-Cormier, E. (2016). Network Support II: Randomized controlled trial of Network Support treatment and cognitive behavioral therapy for alcohol use disorder. Drug and alcohol dependence , 165 , 203-212.
